Box

Box

by Mark Powell (Author)

Synopsis

Stanley dreams of making it big as a DJ, playing the all-nighters with his sidekick Clive; Pow-Wow's as tough as the next kid, patrolling the streets with his gang; Sylvia just wants to escape from the grind of looking after her ageing mother. When Clive and Stanley join forces to establish a male escort agency, the situation hots up...This is a picture of inner city London. Mark Powell has created a gritty, contemporary landscape filled with a vibrant cast of characters, from wannabe gangsters to professional psychics. Slick, fast-paced and surprisingly tender, BOX is aN engrossing window on contemporary London as well as a satisfying page-turner.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Edition: New e.
Publisher: Phoenix
Published: 04 Sep 2003

ISBN 10: 0753817012
ISBN 13: 9780753817018
Book Overview: Vibrant young writer who will appeal to fans of Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) and Kevin Sampson (Clubland) Selected as one of Waterstones 'Ones to Watch' for 2003 Praise for Box: 'Box is urban and compact, a stark and gripping read. A short, black and sideways look at London under-living' Waterstones Books Quarterly 'Powell's second novel is dark stuff. Yet the central personalities steadily acquire form, colour and depth like images on a Polaroid' Time Out 'Mark Powell works a beguiling tale...communicating a real passion for London. His staccato writing style also lends a type of gritty poetry to the urban scenes he describes' Metro and Mark Powell's previous novel Snap: 'A book which reeks of cheap takeaways and testosterone, of concrete and council estates. Snap is ambitious pulp fiction, and this is a compliment' Big Issue 'A little classic' Independent on Sunday

Media Reviews
'A well executed plot...an essentially comic novel...that leans enjoyably towards farce.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY (28.9.03) 'Hard-hitting yet poignant, beautifully written and bang up to date, this new novel by the author of Snap slices through contemporary London like a street-fighter's flick knife.' SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE (November) 'An eye-opening snapshot of inner city London...[a]... fast-paced book' -- Marie Keating HOT STARS 'A brilliant, gritty novel filled with vibrant gangster wannabes entwined in the name of murder.' -- Dean Powell WESTERN MAIL MAGAZINE 'BOX is a sharp, affectionate, yet disturbing tale of suburban futility.' MAXIM (January '04) 'Darkly comic, gritty and urban, Powell's second novel has all the ingredients for an episode of Eastenders - slightly roguish yet heart-of-gold characters, dismal surroundings where love, humour and hope struggle yet survive, but happily without the comedy descending into slapstick.' SCOTSMAN (29.11.03) 'Vividly written in sparse prose, with the characteristic mix of savviness and tenderness that made Snap so unique, this is a worthy follow-up.' -- Ralph Travis CRIME TIME
Author Bio
Mark Powell was born in 1967. After school he lived in New York for a year with a street gang, then travelled for three years in Europe and the Middle East. After completing a law degree, he joined the Air Force for two years, leaving it to complete the Manchester University MA in Creative Writing. He now teaches literacy part-time to young teenagers who have been excluded from school in Brent, and lives in Bethnal Green.